Work-holding apparatus



y 1942- i s. MORGAN 2,284,223

WORK-HOLDING APPARATUS Filed Sepi. 20, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet l PORTER 5. MOiGAN BY 7 A ORNEY May 26, 19 42. p, s, MORGAN 2,284,223

- wonmnowme APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 1940 Y s-sneets-sheeiz INVENTOR PURTER 5. 701mm May 26, 1942. s, MQRGAN 2,284,223

WORK-HOLDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 AV/X/X/ j M A M INVENTOR PORTER 5. MORGAN MRNEY If larged scale showing the mechanism Patented May 26, 1942 j irey-ST E TENT: QFFICE j-wonK-noLmNG APPARATUS -Po rter S.- Morgan; Hartford, ConnQassignor to The Capewell Manufacturing Company, Hart- ..iprd, Conn'., a corporation of Connecticut,

Application scptember 20, 1940, Serial N0.-357,-530

12 Claims.

This invention relates to work-holding apparatus, and moreparticularly to work-holding apparatus capable of being adjusted quickly to an open or closed position.

Attempts have been'madefheretofore, to provide work-holding apparatus suchas vises that could be quickly opened or ishut, but such apparatus has sacrificed some otherdesirable quality for the quick adjustment, or has made the quick adjustment possible only by performing first some form of locking .orunlocking to shift the apparatus from the normal opera-ting position to the quick adjusting position or vice versa. Such arrangements have been unsatisfactory because the'extra operations required to eiiect quick adjustment frequently have nullified any 'advantagethat 'mighthave been obtained.

ed directly on a supporter bench without any swivel su port. I I r a The fixed jaw member 4-0 is provided with an opening l6 extending through its shank that is formed somewhat narrower atits lower portion i-T than at the portion thereabove. Within this opening 'and fitting snugly inside the narrowed It is an object of this invention'to provide work-holding apparatus in which 'the'movable jaw can be eitheropened or closed quickly in-a simple manner by merelypushing the-jaws together or pulling them apart. s

A further object is to provide such apparatus which can be quickly opened from aiocked position by a simple and direct pulling motion.

Another object of my invention is to provide work-holding apparatus including fixed and movable jaw members in which the jaws maybe clamped tightly against the 'work in the usual tion.

In order that my invention maybe more fully understood, a preferred embodiment thereof has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through approximately the center of a visefconstructed in accordance with my invention and showing the upper portions of the jaw members in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a similar sectional viewon an'eninside the fixed jaw member of the vise. V

Fig. 3 is a'vertical sectional view, the ofiset line 3 3 of Fig. 1. c Figs. 4 and 5 are vertical sectional views' taken on the "lines '4-4 and 5-5, respectively, of Fig. 2.

Figs. 6 and? are perspective views ofclutch disc elements used in the assembly inside of the fixed jaw member.

The vise illustrated comprises a fixed jaw memher !0 and a-movable jaw member H, with the tak n on lower portion H is a housing member- 'l Blheld in place by a pair of rods 19 extending later ally therethrough and through the walls of the.

fixed'jaw member "l ll and by the set-screws 20 holding the rods l9 infixed relation to the housing l8 and fixed jaw member m.

' The movable jaw member H is madeintegral with or fixed" to a channel bar 2! adapted to slide back and'foithin the opening H3 in contact withthe walls of said opening and providing-asubstantial clearance within its channel for the upper portionof the housing I8; The channel bar .2! may beclosed at each end by suitable plates '22 and 23 movably held in' place byboltsi 4 The lower portion of the movable jaw member- -H provides a housing inside the plate 23 for-a pair of. rods 24 and 25 having threads 25 and 21, respectively, whicliextend into the hous ing i8. 'I-he' threaded portion of the rod 24 is supported within an opening 28 in one end section of the housing 13 andby a bushing 29 pressed'into an-opening in the otherend section of the ;housin'gfl 8. Intermediate these end sections oi the housing I 8, the threaded portion of the rod 24 engages' internal threads 30 of a rotatable nut 3|. The space between the internal threads -30 is preferably made somewhat wider.

The. rotary 34 are for'med'with legs 38 by which these plates are held against rotation. The plates 34 and 35 fit loosely within the space between the shoul-'* der 3Ia on nut 3| and the end'portion of hous- 'ing l8, thereby permitting the. nut 3| a-small.

degree of movement in an axial'directiom;

The threaded portion of the'lower rod 25 is carried in suitable bushings .39-and 40 held in the end sections of. the housing I8 by setscrews 4| and 42. Intermediate these bushings, the threaded portion of'the r0d=25 passes'through thrust bearings consisting in eachcase of an inner collar 43 incontact with the threads on the rod 25, an; outer collar 44 and suitableball bearings 45 therebetween. 'Between these thrust bearings, thethreads on the rod 25 engage'internal threads 46 of a gear" provided with ex- The end of rod25 supported in an opening in the movable jaw member l| carries a suitable collar 59 held in place by a pin 6|) and constant ly urged into contact with the flange 53 on the sleeve 52 by the spring 6| set in a recess 62 in the lower portionof the movable jaw I and bearing against the gear 56.

The operation of the apparatus will be described, assuming that the jaws l0 and II are open and it is desired to clamp a piece of work between them. The work is placed between the jaws and the movable jaw. may be pushed up against the work by simply pressing it inwardly toward. the fixed jaw Hi. It is convenient to 2 simply lean against or push on the knob 54 to bring the jawsv together quickly on the work.

Pressure'on the movable jaw to clamp it against the work causes the lower rod 25 acting against thescrew threads 46 inside the gear 41 to rotate this gear. The teeth 48 of this gear mesh with the gear teeth 49 and cause rotation of the nut 3| 'in theopposite direction, so that the two rods 24 and are moved inwardly without either rod being rotated. To tighten the jaws on the work, it is then necessary simply tograsp the handle 55 and rotate the rod24 in the usual manner. of .operating a vise. .As the rod 24 is rotated ternal gear teeth48 around one end. The gear teeth 48'meshwith gear teeth 49 cut into the! left end of the nut 3|, as viewed in Figs. 1 and;2.

The gear teeth 49 are substantially wider than the gearteeth 48 to permit relative axial movement of the nut 3| and gear. without disengagement of these gear teeth. v r a The legs 3870f the, fixed clutch plates34 fit over one ofthe'thrust bearings and are prevented thereby from rotating 'while allowing these plates to slide back and forth in the 'directiongof the axis of rotation of'rod 24. r v i It should be noted that the threads 26 on the rod 24 run in the opposite direction from-the the internal threads 30 of the nut 3|. jaws are pulled tighter and tighter together, the pressure on the 'clutchplates 34 and 35 is corre- 4,0

I jaws on the work maybe obtained. The rod 25 in the meantime has started to rotate immediatethreads 21 on therod.25 and are of a small enough pitch to be locked in place, i. e., an axial thrust on the rod 24 will not cause rotation either of the nut 3| or of the rod 24. The threads by thehandle'55; the lint 3l is pulled a Slight distance toward'the movable jaw squeezing together the fixed and movable clutch plates 34 and35." I a By reason of the frictional engagement of these clutch plates, thefixed clutch plates 34; acting through the rotaryrclutch plates 35 that rotate with the nut 3|, holdthe nut 3| firmly against rotation, so that the rod 24 then turns against As the spondingly' increased and thus .a'firm grip of the ly upon rotation of rod 24and in the opposite "direction thereto by reason of-the engagement This in turn causs the rod 25 to rotateinside the 21 on therod 25, on the other hand, have a very steep pitch, such that an axial thrust of the rod 25 will cause rotationof the gear 41. The

gearratio of the gear teeth49 and 4Bshould be proportioned in'accordance with the ratio'of the pitches of the threads 26and21 on the rods 24 and 25, so that when the rods 24 and 2 5 are moved simultaneously'in an axial direction at the same speed, the nut 3| and gear 41 will be rotated synchronously without binding. a

The end of the rod 24 associated with the. movable jaw is supported in a bushing 56 inthe lower "ment of the knob 54 causes the sleeve 52 to slide a portion of the movablejaw member andcarries a flange 5|, or fixedcollar, limiting axial movement of the rod 24 in a direction towards, the fixed jaw member ID. The outermost end or the rod 24 projects through an opening inthe plate movable jaw II has a suitable gear 56 fixed thereto by the set screw 51 and arranged to mesh with'the gear teeth 58 cut in the ro d.24. The gear teeth 58 and the teeth of gear 56 correspond The end of the rod 25 associated with the 23 and supports in sliding engagement asleeve member 52 provided-with a flange 53 at its inner.

in ratio tothe gear teeth 49 and 48, respectively.

of the gear teeth 58Iwiththe teeth on gear 56.

stationary gear 41. V r

.In the event that the jaws are firmly locked against the work and it'is desired to release the work fro'm the vise, it is} simply necessary to grasp theknob 54. "and pull it outwardly'away from th'e'flxed jaw'member' Ill. The first moveover the end of the rod 24, and by reason of the engagement offiange 53 with the collar 59, the

rod 25 is moved a slight distance in an axialdirection away from the fixed jaw member- In. As the rod 25 begins to move, the engagement of the threads onthe rod 25 with the threads 46 ingear 41 causes rotation of 'the gear." and a corres'ponding rotation of the nut 3| in a direction to loosen the grip of the clutch plates-34and 35 upon each other. Continued pull on the knob 54 thencauses the threads on rod 25 .to continue rotating theg'e'ar "and th nut 3|, so that the movable jaw member lljmay be. moved quickly away from the fixed jaw member. ID without rotation of eitherrod 24 or rod 25.-

Such a simplified "operation of a work-holding device is extremely valuable in cases where it is desired to work rapidly or where a heavy piece of work isto be inserted 'b'etweenthe jaws of the vise and requires both hands to.holdthe work in place during the closing of. the vise. In such a case, it issimply necessary. to hold the rods connecting said members; and a pairoof' work in place with both hands and lean against the knob 54, thereby pushing the movable jaw against the work and the grip on the work can then be tightened by a partial rotation of rod 24 using handle 55. I i

It will be apparent that a vise constructed according to my invention can be operated, if desired, simply by using the handle'55 to'rotate the rod24 in the usual manner. As the rod'24 is rotated by the handle 55 to close the jaws, the gearteeth 58 meshing with the teeth on gear 56 cause the rod 25 to rotate synchronously with the rod '24. Rotation of rod 24 creates a thrust on the nut 3|, pulling it towards the movable jaw member II; This thrust squeezes the clutch plates 34 and 35 together, thus holding nut 3i and the gear 41 stationary and pulling the movable jaw member II slowly but surely towards the fixed jaw member ID. Y

The purpose of the extra play or clearance between the threads 26 on the rod 24 and the internal threads 30 in nut-3,! will now be apparent, since this permits the necessary relative axial movement between nut 3| and gear 41 to provide the locking action obtained by means of the clutch plate assembly, and alsoallows nut 3| to rotate freely around rod 24 when the nut is being rotated by gear 41 during the quick adjustment of the jaws to the open or closed position.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof which fall within the scope of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. Work-holding apparatus comprising a fixed jaw member, a movable jaw member, a pair of rods having continuous threads rotatably supported by and connecting said jaw members, means for rotating said rods synchronouslyto efiect closing of said jaws,.and means'associated with both of said rods and rotated by one of said rods when said movable jaw member is pulled away from or pushed toward said fixed jaw member to permit quick adjustment of said jaw members. V

2. Work-holding appratus comprising a fixed jaw member, a movable jaw member, a pair of rods having continuous threads rotatably supported by and connecting said jaw members, and simutlaneously rotatable members carried by one of said jaw members and having threaded engagement with said rods, one of said rods having threads of such a pitch as to cause rotation of said rotatable members and permit quick adjustment of said jaw members when said movable jaw member is pulled away from or pushed toward said fixed jaw member.

3. Work-holding apparatus comprising fixed and movable jaw members, a pair of rotatable rods having continuous threads connecting said members, and means carried by one of said members rotatably engaging threaded portions of both of said rods, one of said rods having threads of such a pitch as to lock said members in fixed relation to each other, and the other of said rods having threads of a greater pitch sufiicient to cause rotation of said means upon movement of said other rod relative to said meansin an axial direction.

4. Work-holding appratus comprising fixed and movable jaw members, a pair of rotatable direction.

members carried by said fixed jaw member geared together for synchronous rotation and having internal threads engaging'threaded portions of said rods, one of said rods having threads ofasufiiciently steep pitch to rotatesaid geared members for quick adjustment of the jaw members uponmovement of the rod inan axial direction. I I v 5. Work-holding apparatus comprising fixed and movable jaw members, a pair of rotatable rods connecting said members, a pair. of members carried by one of s'aidjaw members 'g'eared together for synchronous rotation and having internal threads engaging threaded portions of said rods, and clutch means associated with one of said geared members to hold it s'tationary'du ing tightening of said jaw members, the rod engaging said other geared member having a sufficiently steep pitch to cause rotation of, said geared members upon relative movement Ibetween said rods and geared members in an axial bers to hold it stationary during tightening of said jaw members, the rod engaging said other geared member having a sufiiciently steep pitch to-cause rotation of said geared members upon relative movement in an axial direction between said other geared member and the rod engaged thereby.

'7. Work-holding apparatus comprising fixed and movable jaw members, a rotatable rod con-' necting said members, a rotatable member carried by one of. said jaw members having threads engaging threads on said rod for holding the jaw members in a given relative position, 'clutch' means for holding said rotatable member against rotation to permit tightening of said jaw mem-' bers, and means for releasing said clutch means to permit rotation of said rotatable member and opening of said jaws. V

8. Work-holding apparatus comprising fixed and movable jaw members, a rotatable rod connecting said members, a rotatable member car ried by one of said jaw members having threads engaging threads on said rod for holding the jaw members in a given relative position, clutch means for holding said rotatable member against rotation to permit tightening of said jaw members, and means for rotating said rotatable member releasing said clutch means and permitting quick opening of the jaw members.

9. Work-holding apparatus comprising fixed and movable jaw members, a rotatable rod connecting said members, a rotatable member carried by one of said jaw members having threads engaging threads on said rod for holding the jaw members in a given relative position, clutch means for holding said rotatable member to pernecting said members, a rotatable member carried by one of said jaw members having threads engaging threads on said rod ior'holding the jaw members a given relative position, clutch means for holding said rotatable member to permit tightening of said jaw members, and means including a second rod movable'relative to said first mentioned rod to release said clutch means and movable with said first mentionedv rodto rotate said rotatable member for quick openin of said jaw members.

11; A quick adjusting vise comprising a, pair of jaw members, a threaded rotary rod connecting said jaw members for adjusting the same relative to each other, rotatable means carried by one of said members and cooperating with the threads on said rod .to hold said members in different relative positions, clutch vmeans for holding said rotatable means during tightening of said jaw members, "and means for releasing said clutch meansand rotating said rotatable 

